International Standards IEEE 802.11, as one of wireless LAN (local area network) standards, regulates ad hoc network constituted by only electronic devices providing wireless communication, and infrastructure network providing communication via relay devices (access points).
The ad hoc network capable of communicating without any access point has been increasingly used in recent years for connection with a plurality of computers, printers, projectors or the like via the ad hoc network.
In establishing a new ad hoc network, there is a possibility that inadequate connection or poor communication may be caused when a channel producing large interference with existing wireless communication network is selected.
According to known electronic devices providing wireless communication, a user generally selects a channel to be used for the ad hoc network or a channel specified as default when establishing a new ad hoc network.
It is difficult, however, for the user to select an appropriate channel considering the surrounding radio condition before making the channel selection. This also applies to the case of selecting a default channel. In either of the cases, a channel causing less radio interference needs to be found by a trial and error method which initially selects a channel for providing wireless communication and changes the channel at the time of a generation of large radio interference, since the surrounding radio condition is not considered.
A method for controlling channels in a manner as to prevent generation of radio interference in infrastructure network containing a main unit and a sub unit has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-10-257561). This method controls such that adjoining channels have different diffusion codes in case of a spectrum diffusion system in addition to infrastructure network. Thus, with the limitation of infrastructure network as well, this method cannot be used for channel selection at the time of establishment of a new ad hoc network.